Bangladesh has undergone a remarkable demographic transition over the last two decades, largely due to the national family planning and maternal and child health program (FP/MCH). Recently, the government’s Health and Population Sector Program began a transition away from door-to-door delivery of services to one-stop service delivery points that provide a package of child health, reproductive health, family planning, communicable disease control, and limited curative care services.
In 1997 the National Integrated Population and Health Program (NIPHP) was launched with funding from USAID. One of NIPHP’s seven partners is the Rural Service Delivery Program (RSDP), which has experienced positive results offering an essential package of health services from fixed community-based centers that reach an estimated 11 million rural people.
As many clients are used to getting door-to-door services from field workers, one major challenge RSDP faces is motivating clients to come to service delivery points. In response, RSDP has introduced BCC activities designed to encourage clients to utilize services.
As part of its BCC activities, RSDP has participated in different national and international health and population events, providing services for underserved clients and raising awareness about service delivery points. RSDP provided Polio Vaccine and Vitamin A capsules to children on National Immunization Day, linked pregnant and postpartum mothers with service delivery points for antenatal and postnatal care on Safe Motherhood Day, and educated adolescent newlywed couples during World Population Day activities. RSDP’s BCC efforts have been successful in encouraging clients to go to service delivery points, and service utilization has increased significantly.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe a programmatic approach to increase underserved groups’ utilization of service delivery points. 2. Explain the rationale behind the transition from door-to-door service delivery to one-stop service delivery points
Keywords: Behavior Modification, Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.